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15 Years of Food Safety Tech: Food Safety Compliance vs Reality with Rick Biros | Episode 161
In this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!, our hosts Matt and Francine welcome industry veteran Rick Biros to talk about 15 years of Food Safety Tech and the Food Safety Consortium. We also get the chance to hear about Rick’s new upcoming conference, Food Safety Hazards.
From cockroach-laced product horror stories (yes, really) to a deep dive into 15 years of industry evolution in food safety regulations, we unpack one of the most uncomfortable truths in food safety compliance: just because you’re “within compliance” doesn’t mean your food is safe. It’s clear that the industry still has a long way to go in truly protecting consumers.
In this episode:
💩 [02:48] 15 Years of Food Safety Tech
💩 [10:46] FSMA at 15 years: success or failure?
💩 [15:35] Food safety culture isn’t optional (or new)
💩 [21:00] Turning food safety into a profit center
💩 [22:37] Food safety benchmarking & metrics: where do you start?
💩 [25:59] New Food Safety Hazards Conference explained
💩 [35:54] The broken U.S. food safety system
💩 [44:08] Raw milk, recalls & risk decisions
Disclaimer: Episode title and content do not constitute legal or health advice.
Resources from this episode
Connect with Rick here.
Use the discount code poop for a 25% discount at the Food Safety Hazards Conference 2026 (April 20-22) and the Food Safety Consortium (October 23-26).
Take a look at the white paper we discussed in this episode: Integrating the Fragmented United States Federal Food Safety System into a Food Protection System
Read the article Rick mentioned at the end of this episode: Outbreak Investigation of E. coli O157:H7 in Raw Cheddar Cheese. Was it from RAW FARM or Not??
Listen to our previous conversation with Rick:
Noteworthy quotes from this episode
“Where this industry needs to go is to turn food safety and quality into a financial benefit to food and beverage companies.” – Rick Biros
We hope you enjoy this episode of Don’t Eat Poop!
Connect with Francine, Matt, and the “Don’t Eat Poop!” show on LinkedIn!
Check out Francine’s book Who Watches the Kitchen? on Amazon!
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